[cichlids rock]

hello there...i am thinking about getting a 150 gallon tank or larger to house the fish i already have but im thinking 15 just isnt going to be enough. i suppose itd be helpful if i listed what i have already. here it goes....

1 compressicip
1 midas
2 jack Dempsey's
4 peacocks
1 convict
1 fire mouth
1 electric blue johanni
1 lab
3 unidentified...were listed as mixed when i bout them 2 years ago
2 rapheal stripped catfish

was thinking about a couple Christmas fulus..a couple flamebacks..and maybe a couple tropheus and a few syndontis catfish..possibly taking the severums out of the other tank and adding them into the mix....have 3 tanks already 2 55's and a 40.....housing mostly various species of cichlids.....thinking about taking the 40 and turning into the hospital tank

let me know what you think

any information will be greatly appreciated

 

[Afishionado]

Have you been keeping cichlids long? I'm not trying to be sarcastic. It's just that the mix you're proposing reads like the sort of recipe for disaster many of us come up with when just starting out.

To start from the beginning, you'd really be best to decide if you want this to be an african or a new world tank. Putting a Midas and Jack Dempseys (or the firemouth, convict, or most new world cichlids for that matter) in with africans is just about never recommended. Although it seems there is always someone who'll chime in to say they've done it, there are many compatibility issues that usually result in trouble for either the africans, the new worlds, or both. If you're just getting into cichlids especially, avoid it. Of course, you'll need to identify the unidentified fish, or at the minimum sort out if they're africans or new-worlds. Post some pics for assistance if necessary.

Once you've narrowed it down to either group, then there are further issues to tackle. If you were to go with africans, for instance, here are just a few of the questions to address:

- Is the 'compressiceps' the Tanganika'Altolamprologus compressiceps' , the Malawi 'Dimidiochromis compressiceps' or something else?

- Mbuna species (like the yellow labs and electric blue johanni) do much better in groups of 4 or more.

- Whether peacocks will show well and live healthy lives can be tricky. Mixing them with mbuna can work in a tank that size if you go with the limited # of more robust peacock species and stick with the milder mbuna species. It's not a mix that everyone recommends though.

- "A couple" of Tropheus is a bad idea, especially if they're the same species. They'll wipe each other out. They need to be kept singly or as a colony of, say, 15 or more, and need to be running the show to be at their best.

etc. you get the picture. It's not just a question of how many will fit. Some research and careful consideration into what mix will work together is needed.

Good luck with it.